Stonechat performs well

A female Stonechat gave Janet some nice pic opportunities when it appeared on Heysham NR late afternoon:

Iceland Gull - 3CY on Fishers roof and later on the south quay - almost a long enough stay to be given a name
Gannet - adult
Kittiwake - adult
Both the last two appeared as the IOM passenger ferry was coming in and may have been dragged in then headed north as the boat slowed down

Brief visit

Iceland gull 3CY on the south quay

Flock of 6 Kittiwake in then on in 30 min seawatch

Two chiffchaff singing by office

Middleton (MD)
2 Tufted
2 Mallard
2 Teal
1 Little grebe on Fence pond (first I've seen here this year)
No sightings of Goldcrest or Chiffchaff. But did hear 2 Chiffchaff singing.
Contact calls only from Cetti's in western scrape

March Moth and Common Quaker in trap

Nothing happening

The 3CY Iceland Gull was asleep on Fishers roof from at least 0805hrs to 1330hrs and nothing else stirred despite quite a bit of migrant activity elsewhere

The sea was particularly awful with a couple of hours producing some seagulls and an Eider!

Thwarted Kittiwakes

Two gangs of Kittiwake clearly did not fancy an overland crossing in todays weather and ended up flying out and across the bay

Kittiwake: flocks of 20 and c135 out/on then out
Iceland Gull: 3CY south quayside then later on Fishers roof

Gannet in the gloom

The visibility wasn't too clever today otherwise more surely on the sea?  As it was only had 30 minutes to spare and this immediately produced an outbound adult Gannet but nothing else other than a flock of 5 small gulls in the gloom which lifted off the water briefly before landing again out of sight (Common Gull or Kittiwake)

The 3CY Iceland Gull was south quayside mid afternoon just below the old Fisher's warehouse

Moths:  2 x Hebrew Character, single of Clouded Drab and Common Quaker

Bits

Iceland Gull on Fisher's roof again.

1 Goldcrest in the bushes at the corner of the South Harbour Wall.

Vis:
Meadow Pipit 2
Alba Wagtail 1
Siskin 4
Grey Wagtail 1

Spring migrant trickle

Low double figures of Goldcrest and 4-5 Chiffchaff around this am with low double figures of Meadow Pipit and alba Wagtail overhead. 1 Grey Wagtail over and headed to sewage works.

Jay- 2 by Pagoda on Reserve.

Two Raven at the heliport area welcome - scarce recently

3CY Iceland Gull at the waterfall early am

106 Eider in the low tide channel

Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler on territory Middleton

Mammals:  Roe Deer - 2 crossed Heysham NR plateau at 10.30 from marshy area below old classroom.

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly - 1 seen in Reserve car park am

Four singletons of four species in the moth trap:  Diurnea fagella, Common Quaker, Hebrew Character, March Moth

Iceland Gull still in residence

Must like it here as quite a bit of the recent weather could be labelled 'departure conditions'

Completely dead, having said that, overhead today

Just 14 Snipe but no Jack Snipe OE saltmarsh

Male Wheatear (still?) in this area

60 Cormorants on the wooden jetty and 24 Turnstone on the lower deck

Common Quaker in the new moth trap

Spring trundles along and Iceland Gull lingers

Some good coverage by Janet and Malcolm today but unfortunately still struggling with logistics at Heysham NR and (eg as the visiting birder yesterday found) the office is still closed most of the time as there is only one key at present and regular migrant ringing and vis mig coverage has yet to get started

Ocean Edge afternoon

Just the one Wheatear seen today

Middleton am
22 Meadow pipits were grounded on/around field to east of Tim Butler. Drifted off north in three groups (8, 8 & 6).
1 burst of song from Cetti's in western scrape.
1 Buzzard
7 jackdaw (5 & 2) high to north
1 Gadwall
3 Tufted
2 Teal

Harbour
3CY Iceland Gull giving close views at last as it fed around the waterfall in the SW corner of the harbour this am.  This can actually be viewed with a telescope from the end of the 'Twite corridor', to save the long walk round, but best to check Fishers roof first

Decent mix

Iceland gull 3cy at waterfall early am then flew towards wooden jetty

Jack snipe - 3 oe foreshore

Chiffchaff - 2 middleton, one singing

Wheatear - male oe foreshore